Common returns with a great 2007 effort. The album features him in his comfort zone, and that’s not a bad thing. Lyrically it’s a great performance from the Common Sense. He got Kanye to produce a lot again, and the result are some wonderful beats. Will.i.am does a good job with “I Want You”. The first half of the album is the better half…but besides the ridiculously long end of Common album track at the end, all the songs are good to great. “The People” featuring Dwele is such a beautiful song. I really like the bounce of “Drivin’ Me Wild” which features Lily Allen. “U, Black Maybe” is interesting too. I love the synergy of Kanye and Common on “Southside” too. Ultimately this album is just about as good as Be…..in my opinion. Lyrics 25 Beats 23 Depth 23 Tilt 23 Verdict 94
Jada’s 2009 offering is really good, even if there were a couple songs he could have left off. He shows great lyrical ability on the songs, and his delivery demands your attention. The beats are good too, and I felt the album had pretty good replayability. This one has a little something for everybody. I felt the collabo with Ne-yo wasn’t as good as it could have been. What If is a great song even if it is somewhat like his “Why” song from 2004’s Kiss of Death. “Letter to B.I.G.” is incredibly thoughtful and features Faith Evans. “Stress Ya” produced by the Neptunes might be the best song. There some other gems too like “Smoking Gun” featuring Jazmine Sullivan. “I Tried” and “Come and Get Me” are pretty mid tho. Overall it’s a good album. Lyrics 23 Beats 20 Depth 22 Tilt 20 Verdict 85